Low Viscosity Guar Gum

One of the most versatile and cost effective gums has gained even wider functionality for makers of nutraceutical products with the introduction of low viscosity guar gum from TIC Gums. The company, which operates an ISO 9001-certified guar processing facility at its Belcamp, MD headquarters, is now offering TIC PRETESTED Gum Guar TICOLV (medium low viscosity) and VLV (very low viscosity) Powder.

Although the concept of low molecular weight guar is not new, past efforts involved alcohol precipitation, which added prohibitively to its cost, says TIC Gums' vice president of research and development Dr. Florian Ward. "We developed a low-cost process that does not use organic solvents or alcohol precipitation," she states. The TICOLV product measures 1,500 centipoise at 2 percent concentration, and the VLV is 300-700 centipoise at 2 percent. The primary benefit of the gum to those in the nutraceutical industry, says Dr. Ward, is that it permits manufacturers to make a high fiber claim, without adding high viscosity to nutraceutical beverages and meal replacers.

She adds that the range of applications is even wider when this guar is blended with other gums. "For example, the system can gain protein reactivity by mixing the guar with CMC for protein drinks. And by adding gum arabic, it's possible to increase the fiber even more, without adding any significant viscosity," says Ward. She adds that significant clinical work has been done demonstrating the effectiveness of guar on cholesterol reduction, another important claim for nutraceutical products. A member of the legume family, guar gum is derived from the ground endosperm of the guar plant. It is relatively easy to cultivate with an impressively short growth cycle of between 120 and 180 days, which adds to its availability and value.

TIC Gums, Inc., PO Box 369, Belcamp, MD, 21017-0369. Phone: 410-273-7300; Fax: 410-273-6469.